Dark Entity: Return of a Legend
by Cathamaria
Summary: Four years after the Eve of Wars, a new threat to the World Nation arises. Will the Lady Une, the Preventers, and the Gundam pilots be able to stop the revolution before the Earth falls to the mercy of the Neu-Ro? Shocking plot twists.
1. Awaiting Rebirth

Dark Entity: @--;- Return of a Legend  
  
By: CrimsonDaybreak 2003 (aka. Shukujo Une. or Cat) Disclaimer: I do NOT own Gundam Wing, its characters, its plot, or the rights to mess with Lady Une-and everyone else's-mind. hehehe. I wish I did, but I don't. yet. Dedicated to: My really cool English teacher!! ^_- LCS RULZ!!!  
  
Note: Dark Entity was re-titled from my previous fic: "MSGW II: Return of a Legend".  
  
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The Eve of Wars was a legend,  
The Romafeller was a legend,  
The Gundams were a legend,  
Etched into the pages of new MS history.  
  
.But only four years later, a new legend is born; alas not without help from the past. Who is the new threat to the World Nation? And who are the familiar faces that have returned to center stage in this new and dangerous revolution? When trouble that has secretly been brewing on the L2 finally makes a move for Earth, the Preventers are caught off guard and completely powerless. or so it seemed. With Lady Une at the helm of the Preventers Organization, and the Gundam pilots at her side, the Earth heads for an uncertain future. Like once before, this fire won't be so easy to put out.  
  
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Rating: PG-13 [for language, violence, and sexual reference] Author's notes: OK, apologies in advance 4 the following story quirks-  
  
- Revolutionists speaking in half English and half German.  
- Duo infiltrating secret bases, NOT Trowa.  
- Other characters speaking random Japanese phrases.  
- Zechs/Noin coming back from Mars married, but WITHOUT children.  
- Lady Une having really freaky psychotic dreams.  
- Any random references to Sailor Moon and its plot.  
- The use of Christmas Eve to break out the climax in the 'war' for  
sentimental purposes towards the Eve of Wars three years ago.  
  
And of course:  
  
Relena being a part of this story. .  
  
Well, enough with the bore-you-to-death intro, and ON TO THE STORY!! (yay.) ^__^  
  
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CHAPTER ONE: AWAITING REBIRTH  
  
LaGrange Point Two Colony: August 12, 199 A.C.  
  
A young officer strode swiftly down the marble corridor, his black regiment boots tapping lightly against the ground. He made a quick turn and knocked twice on the solid oak door. "Wer1?" came a strong voice from the other side. "I am officer zero-seven." "Herein2." The officer opened the door and stood before the council. He waited for a nod of approval from one of the men before speaking, and then he turned to the man sitting at the head of the table. "Herr3, the preparations have been completed." "Everything is ready for launch, then?" "Yes, Herr." "I see," he mumbled, running a gloved hand through his wavy brown hair. The man stood up from the head of the table, dismissing the officer with a swift gesture of his hand, and then he turned to the others who sat with him. "My friends, it has begun," he said. "The Neu-Ro shall launch for Earth morgen Abend4, at 2100 hours, when the night falls upon the colony." They nodded. "We await the rebirth, Count Dreizehn5, and we know that it is safe in your hands," an older, slightly rounded man, declared amiably, his thick German accent distinguished in his practised English. "The General was on his mark when he chose you." The others agreed readily with enthusiastic applause. "You do me too much honour, Count Zwei5," the young man laughed, his blue eyes sparkling, and then he turned again to the others. "Danke schön6, all of you." He bowed and quickly saluted them before taking his seat once more. "But there is still the matter of our codenames to be dealt with. Shall we be keeping them when we reach the Earth?" "Nein7. Most likely not," another man with a thick white beard said softly. The blue-eyed count looked at him with blatant curiosity. "And why would we not, dear Count Vierzehn5? Ich verstehe nicht8... Your motives, I mean..." The older man smiled. "And why would you not use your real name? I do not mean we completely abandon our titles. I just ask: would the Earth not take us more seriously if they heard of you, not as a codename, but as the valiant knight of the stellar battlefield? The Count-..." The blue-eyed man held his hand up sharply to silence the other. "I see what you mean." He smiled as he remembered something. "But do not speak my name until we reach the Earth, my friend. That is a request upon a past I value as well as deeply regret. I hope you understand." The other nodded, as did the rest of the council. He stood again. "Morgen Abend?" he asked. "Morgen Abend," they agreed, and he saluted them once more before turning to leave, his hand placed firmly on the hilt of his sword. With a swish of his long, dark cape, he was gone. The heavy door closed behind him, and the men remained seated until their leader's footsteps disappeared down the dark marble corridor.  
  
"The suit is ready, then?" Count Dreizehn asked, turning to face the mass of gleaming blue and white metal. The insignia glowed with a radiant pride; this new model marked what was soon to be the dawning of a new era. The original had met its fate gallantly and vanished upon the Eve's battlefield. Even the Count himself wondered whatever had become of the once great knight who piloted it so many years before; so many countless years and lost memories before. These were memories of a past that no one wanted to remember. A past that some could not remember.  
"Yes, Herr. It will be loaded heute Abend9. As soon as the others are in place." She motioned across the hangar to where the last unit of suits were still waiting. The Count smiled at her.  
"You are very efficient with your tasks, Countess Eins5, I will be glad when you are with me on the Earth..." He paused for a moment, as the young woman eyed him with undefined interest. "...Oh, how I have missed the Earth... My home... Have you ever been there, Countess?" She hesitated for a moment.  
"Ja10, Herr. Once, a long, long time ago-" He turned around to face her, his blue eyes sparkling again as he gazed into the azure depths of her own.  
"How foolish you must think I am to ask you," he said. "Of course you have been there. How else would you-" Dreizehn shook his head, then smiled tremulously. "Do you remember, Countess?" "Yes," she replied softly, knowing exactly of what he was speaking. "Yes, I remember. We were reckless children back then, Lord-" The Count held his hand up to silence her. She did not speak further.  
"Reckless, maybe, but nonetheless life was simpler. I would have given anything to return to those days, Countess. Now it seems too late for that, but one can always hope..." He shoved aside those nostalgic thoughts. "Please, Countess, I have already explained to the rest that my name shall not be spoken again until we have reached the Earth. My name, and the name of this," he said, pointing up at the suit they had been discussing earlier. "I hope you understand."  
"Ja, Herr. I will see to it that the other suits are loaded, then." She smiled, saluting her superior before turning away. The Count remained where he stood, staring up at the suit, as if he were desperately trying to remember something.  
She remembers, he thought. She remembers, but I can't. He sighed deeply. My memories are faded, gone. The only ones I have left are the ones I have been told. And I have been told that she was the one... But it doesn't feel like that. She doesn't feel like the one... There was another woman... Oh, I wish I could remember who...  
"Herr Dreizehn?" A voice jerked him out of his private reverie, and he turned around to face the older man.  
"Guten Abend11, General," the blue-eyed Count greeted him.  
  
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"Hmmm, the new scrap yard was supposed to be here somewhere," Duo mumbled to himself. "Maybe I took a wrong turn." He returned to the back alley he had followed, scrutinizing over the directions Hilde had written down for him. Sudden voices broke him out of his thoughts, and instinctively, he ducked into the shadows.  
"The last preparations have been completed," the first voice said.  
"And the launch will commence heute Abend?"  
"Ja." From the darkness, a suspicious Duo listened intently as the two men, who seemed to be on a cigarette break, continued to discuss the launch amongst themselves. Their heavily accented English made it hard to understand what they meant. "Herr Dreizehn and the General will travel hidden, far behind the convoy, so as not to have attention drawn to them."  
"They are taking all precautions, then?"  
"Ja. To make sure everything goes as planned when it begins." The two men turned and disappeared, the sound of a heavy metal door closing behind them. Duo sat in the shadows for a moment.  
"Who are they? And what are they up to?" he asked himself, and then decided that he would find out. He scanned the area for the presence of anyone else, then like a snake he slipped through the shadows to where he had seen the men disappear. There was no door. "What the hell?" he asked himself. "There's nothing here."  
An idea struck him then, and he began to feel of the seemingly normal brick wall, until he pinpointed a switch which was so cleverly hidden, disguised as one of the dark red bricks. He pressed down and the secret door swung open. "Who ever they are, they don't look like they want anyone to find out about them..." he muttered as he descended into the darkness that lie below.  
  
"This is the last of them, Count," a man said, pointing to a large metal entity, draped over and hidden by an enormous dark cloth. Duo watched as it was loaded into an unmarked freighter.  
"No way!" he exclaimed softly from behind the pile of crates he had chosen as his hideout. But it was. The shape that lie beneath that dark veil was unmistakably the outline of a mobile suit.  
"The Earth will be taken by quite surprise, Herr," the man continued, and when the Count turned around, Duo caught a glimpse of the young man's eyes.  
"Yes, my friend. Yes, they will," he said with a smile, then pointed to a carrier on the far side of the hangar. "The M-13 will travel behind the rest," he explained, "With myself, the General, and the Countess."  
"I see."  
"Please find the Countess Eins and tell her that I will be waiting onboard until the launch." The man nodded.  
"What shall be done with this post?" the officer asked, referring to the 'base' they had set up on the L2 colony.  
"Nichts12." The officer looked taken aback. "We will have no more need for it once we leave." He nodded and the officer was dismissed.  
"No way," Duo whispered again. "It couldn't be..." He stood up slowly and turned to leave, but an angry voice stopped him in his tracks.  
"You there, stop!" Duo froze for a moment, and then bolted out of the hangar. More angry shouts followed by footsteps chased him until he reached the door that he had taken before. "Bloody fuck!" A rain of gunshots echoed around him, and Duo found himself just barely ducking the rounds of automatic fire. He was unarmed and outnumbered, and if lady luck didn't take his side, he knew what would happen. He'd seen plenty of hell-damned corpses lying dead in their own blood, and he wasn't going to be one of them. not this time.  
  
As he slipped into the shadows, his pursuers lost his trail, and the danger subsided.for the time being. "Close one," Duo muttered, and slipped back into the light of the colony's main streets. "Duo Maxwell!" Hilde exclaimed as he entered the apartment. "Where have you been? Have you any idea what time it is? Do you know how worried I was? What if-" She stopped when she saw the look that replaced his usually buoyant smile. "What is it?" she whispered. Duo motioned for her to sit down.  
  
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"Security systems on the south side of the colony have been disabled, we have twenty minutes to deploy before they come online again," an officer shouted from the control console of the M-13.  
"Good. Tell them to open the docking port."  
"Yes, Count." A warning sounded across the hangar, and all off-ship crews hurriedly put on their space helmets. The alarm grew louder as the docking port opened, and the dark vacuum of space revealed itself. "Port successfully opened, Herr. Port controls have been transferred to this console." The blue-eyed Count nodded.  
"Countess."  
"Yes, Herr?"  
"Send the message. The first squadron of the Neu-Ro fleet deploys now."  
"Yes, Herr." Visible only as streaks of stunning white light, the first group of carriers left the colony, their course plotted so that they made a generous detour around the colonies' interlocked grid security systems. "First squadron deployed successfully. Second and third squadrons are awaiting clearance, fourth, fifth and sixth on stand-by. Your orders, Count?"  
"Deploy the second and third."  
"Yes, Herr." Again, the carriers set out, entering the vacuum of outer space and disappearing in the sea of stars. "Second and third deployed successfully."  
"Ten minutes until security systems return," an officer shouted over  
the intercom. Dreizehn nodded. "Deploy the fourth and fifth. Tell all remaining off-ship crews to board the main carrier of the sixth and follow the rest."  
The Countess nodded. As soon as the final fleet left the hangar, their ship began to move. Dreizehn stood resolutely and returned to his quarters as the ship completely left the colony, the port closing behind them and signifying the point of no return. They travelled at a slower pace, so not to remain with the rest of the convoy. He turned to face the Countess, who had followed him. "Herr, Count Zwei has confirmed the radar systems will be disabled on the Earth upon our arrival. The frequencies will be jammed, and then locked, and there will be no trace of the convoy as it enters the atmosphere." He nodded in acknowledgement, and she left. "The time is drawing near," Dreizehn said quietly.  
  
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Preventers' Headquarters, Earth: August 16, 199 A.C.  
  
A persistent rain fell from the dark night sky, drenching the city, and pounding on the glass paned windows of the Preventers' Headquarters. Thunder shook the building, and lightning illuminated the clouds, sending white-hot streaks snaking their way across the sky. "Preventer Une?" a voice echoed over the intercom. There was no answer. "Preventer Une?-Are you alright?"  
She turned her chair slightly away from the window to face the vidalink. "What? Oh, Jiina, sorry. I must have drifted off..." Anna smiled. "What is it?"  
"Are you alright?" Jiina asked again, noticing the distant look in Une's deep brown eyes. "You seem a bit-distracted." The young Preventer smiled and waved it off with her hand.  
"Yes, yes. I'm fine, just a bit tired." She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "What was it you wanted?"  
"Preventer Water is on the line for you, Ma'am."  
"Thank you, Jiina."  
Sally's face appeared almost immediately on the small vidalink screen. She seemed quite cheerful.  
"Just thought I'd check up on things," she said as a means of greeting. "Anything happen lately?" Sally smiled again.  
Une turned completely away from the window to face her friend. "Not in particular. Why are you so happy?" She eyed the other Preventer suspiciously. "It's not like there's anything pleasant about being stationed on an isolated Mediterranean island with a Chinese psychopath. I could have had you assigned to the Tokyo sector, you know." Sally just grinned more.  
"Oh, the view is wonderful from here. And there's plenty of time to enjoy it, since my only job lately has been to monitor the radar systems. It's funny, the system went down without warning, and I'm trying to get it back online-Oh, well, it's just a minor technicality. The signals are being jammed; they probably locked on to some other frequency. I'll fix it. And besides, your 'psychopath' came down with the flu," she laughed. "And why, might I ask, are you in such a dreary mood?"  
"Oh, just something," Anna sighed.  
"Remembering something?"  
"Maybe. But I told you already," she began, knowing exactly what Sally was on about, "that doesn't matter anymore. That's over and done. And it's NOT what I'm worried about." "Oh?" Sally raised her eyebrows as Une went to fetch two file folders from her filing cabinet. She opened them out and laid them on the desk in front of her.  
"THIS is what's bothering me," she said in a no-questions tone of voice as she pointed to the stack of papers. "This is the report from the Mediterranean region, near your sector, Sally. There's some suspicious activity occurring near that abandoned-" Anna cringed slightly as she continued, "-Oz base... The SchwarzRe?en13..." Sally nodded for her to continue. "It's probably nothing. But then there's this," she said, pointing to the second stack of papers. "The entire south side security system on the L2 colony mysteriously went down for a full twenty minutes a few days ago. There was no power failure, and the techs don't know what happened. The Preventers on L2 are checking it out."  
"So, what happened?"  
"They don't know yet. But if the Mediterranean problem develops any further, I'll have you check it out."  
"No problem. Good-night, Anna."  
"Goodnight." Une stood up, dropping the files back into the cabinet, and kicking the drawer shut. She managed to catch one more glimpse out the window before shutting off her light and leaving her office for the night.  
"Good-night, Ma'am."  
"Good-night, Jiina." Lightning flashed again, and behind the opaque clouds, unseen to the young Preventer, a single shooting star lit up the sky.  
  
"Hmm," Sally muttered. The radar systems had gone down without notice hours ago, and she had only managed to bring her sector online for a few moments, but something just wasn't right. "What could that have been?" An unidentified object had flashed across the otherwise empty radar screen.  
  
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1 Wer: "Who is it?" 2 Herein: "Come in." 3 Herr: (honorific) "Sir" 4 morgen Abend: "tomorrow night" 5 Neo-Ro codenames-  
Dreizehn: "thirteen"  
Zwei: "two"  
Vierzehn: "fourteen"  
Eins: "one" 6 Danke schön: "thank you" 7 Nein: "no" 8 Ich verstehe nicht: "I do not understand." 9 heute Abend: "tonight" 10 ja: "yes" 11 guten Abend: "good evening" 12 nichts: "nothing" 13 SchwarzRe?en: "black rain" (a rough translation; the name of a former OZ  
  
military base on the Mediterranean.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES:  
  
Phew! What a LONG chapter. A couple of cliff-hangers here and there,  
but only to give you a taste of the "better" things to come. if I have  
the right to say that. Anyway, thanx for reading!! ^_^  
Oh, and btw: Anna and Une are the same person (and possess the SAME  
psyche, even though you may not like to believe so.) Preventer Water  
is Sally Po, Jiina is Une's secretary, AND the "Chinese psychopath"  
refers to WuFei Chang. (Sorry to all his fans!!) 


	2. Expectations

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CHAPTER TWO: EXPECTATIONS  
  
Preventers' Headquarters: LaGrange Point Two Colony  
  
"Preventer Une won't be pleased," a young officer ventured bluntly as he looked over the reports that came back from the field team.  
"We did our best," the other Preventer replied reproachfully. "But we didn't have any leads. Whoever brought down the system-if someone actually did-did it in complete secrecy. There's no evidence of anything wrong."  
"Except the fact that an almost completely flawless system went down without warning," the officer behind the desk said, tapping his fingers on the file folder.  
"An ALMOST completely flawless system, which means there's still room for the occasional failure."  
"But the maintenance techs have already confirmed that there was NO failure. The system was purposely-or maybe accidentally-jammed..." He placed the files in an envelope and handed it to the field officer. "Give this to my secretary on your way out," he said as he stood to escort the other to the door. "And tell her to send it to the Preventers' Headquarters on Earth immediately."  
"Yes, Sir," the other replied as he saluted and left the office. The Preventer returned to his desk to file additional paperwork that was to be sent away that evening.  
"Preventer Walker?" his secretary's voice said over the intercom.  
"Yes, Carolyne?"  
"There is a young man and woman here to see you, Sir. They say it's important. It has to do with the system failure on the south side."  
"Send them in," Walker replied and waited patiently for them to enter his office.  
  
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Preventers' Midpoint Radar station: North Mediterranean  
  
"It went down in the Mediterranean, some twenty miles from the north- eastern shores... A little too close to the SchwarzRe?en for any type of comfort..." Sally muttered as she checked the radar system's record database. She remembered what Une had told her. "What's going on here? Not only did the ENTIRE Earth's radar systems go off-line, but all the other atmospheric monitors as well, including the weather forecasting satellites and resource stations..." Sally shook her head. "Whatever that thing was, I'll have to lock the coordinates onto it."  
"Are you going to go around ALL DAY muttering to yourself, or are you going to TELL ME WHAT IN HELL IS GOING ON???" came WuFei's voice. He had momentarily regained his strength and made it into the other room, where Sally sit behind her desk, ranting and raving about whatever. He, quite frankly, didn't care for what was going on; he just wanted her to shut up so he could sleep. She turned around.  
"A fairly large, heat-withstanding, aerodynamic projectile complied of metallic and alloyed substances entered the Earth's atmosphere and [crash] landed without authorization." WuFei blinked, staring blankly as Sally continued. "Either a discarded cargo freight, another stray remnant of the metal scraps left over from the Eve of Wars, a fallen satellite, or something new, bizarre, and unexplainable that could possibly pose a threat to the human race."  
"Oh," he coughed. "It's probably nothing dangerous. You onnas worry too much; that's what makes you so weak. and irritating, with absolutely no integrity. just like-this flu. Stupid flu. It's an injustice." WuFei continued to mutter as he returned to his room and Sally looked back at her computer screen.  
"Hmm, a cheerful mood he's in. he could be right... but I still have a feeling this is something else..." She sent a message to Une, who would look into it, and if needed, dispatch a field team to check it out.  
  
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"So, you're saying that an entire base hangar was constructed and maintained on the basement level of this colony, without ANYONE discovering the process?" Walker asked, and Duo nodded.  
"There are ways to get in from the main level, I think. There was one- Do you want me to show you where?"  
"Yes. We will send for back up and leave as soon as it is confirmed." Duo shook his head as he stood.  
"There is no need for that. They spoke of a launch, and I believe they brought down the security so they could do it in secret. A man, who looked like their leader-" Duo stopped for a moment and thought. He looked like their leader, but more than that he looked strikingly like-No, they needn't know about THAT. They'd think me to be mad... "-said that their 'base' would be completely abandoned. There would be no more use for it when they reached the Earth."  
"So they are headed for the Earth?" The Preventer jumped from his seat. "They must be warned immediately, should this situation turn out to be hostile." Walker pressed the intercom link. "Carolyne, contact the Earth's Headquarters and get in touch with Preventer Une. Tell her this is of utmost priority."  
"Yes, Sir."  
Walker turned back to Duo and Hilde. "Please remain within the building. We will get back to you as soon as we can." They nodded and left as Preventer Walker took his seat once again.  
"Preventer Walker?" came Carolyne's voice.  
"Yes?"  
"Preventer Une is on the line."  
"Thank you, Carolyne." He turned to see Une's face appear on the vidalink. Without hesitation, he began to explain all he had heard, and all Duo had told him. Une listened intently, her face growing more serious by the word.  
  
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Sally opened her email once more before retiring for the night, only to find a message flashing the word -URGENT-- in bold red lettering. It was from Une.  
  
--Preventer Water,  
  
Light has been shed upon the L2 incident, and the threat of danger towards the Earth has become increasingly imminent. After gaining word from the L2 Headquarters, it became undoubtedly necessary to dispatch a field team to search and retrieve whatever you say landed within the SchwarzRe?en region of the Mediterranean. You are required to meet up with the dive team and myself at the Preventers' office in Preveza. Please leave Preventer WuFei in charge of your station and leave immediately after reading this message. Details will be explained upon your arrival. Thank you.  
Sincerely,  
Preventer Une--  
  
"So something IS wrong," Sally thought aloud. She stood up, closed her laptop, and walked into the room where WuFei was still asleep. She would have to wake him and explain what was going on, and why she had to leave.  
  
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As Une boarded the plane that would take her to the office in Preveza, her mind refused to leave the disturbing notion that this could be another attempt at a revolution. She sat, staring out her window with a blank expression as the carrier taxied down the runway and lifted off. "Please, God," she whispered, "don't let us repeat our history..." She remembered all the pain, all the suffering the past had caused her-and everyone else who had not even been involved in the war-and she folded her hands, closed her eyes, and prayed. No, it wouldn't happen again. Not if she could help it. The clouds were dark grey that night, and from the ground, the people could see the moon glow a chilling shade of crimson. The August winds blew about fiercely with the night and, though the air was warm, the Earth shivered in expectance.  
  
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AUTHOR'S NOTES:  
  
Oooh, how tense. yeah right. I know the scenes keep jumping, but  
that's only confusing if you've never actually watched anime. or any  
other TV show. I write the way it would be in animation. :) If you  
looked at it in terms of it being animated, it would probably make  
more sense. yeah, sure. 


	3. Innocent Blood

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CHAPTER THREE: INNOCENT BLOOD  
  
The bright blue skies and sandy gold shores of the Mediterranean ceased to exist. Instead, the entire landscape, from the sea to the mountains was only shades of grey. The beach extended far beyond sight, but was deserted, and inland laid only the shadows of the things that should have been.  
"Where am I?" she whispered, the sound of the unyielding waves drowning out her voice. When her gaze shot upward, she realized the sky was slowly clouding over. "How did I get here?" Silence dawned upon the scenery, as it would a crowd when the host entered the stateroom, and the eerie quietness sent a chill up Une's spine. She stood still for a moment, gazing out onto the boundless greys of the ocean. It was so depressing, and indeed, these were the colours of her life, painted out for her to see.  
A raven's piercing cry had her whirling around from the sea she was facing to the shadowy forests that lie where the beach ended. Darkness. Eternal, infinite, black. The worst of colours that painted the landscape of the life she had chosen to lead. It felt so familiar. "W-Who's there?" she called, and a shadow moved within the dense cluster of trees. Une stiffened. "S-Sally? Is that you?" No one answered. Nothing stirred. "Who's there?" Une cried again, and time froze around her.  
"Travel no farther," said a low, haunting voice. Une's head shot from left to right, but the origin of the sound could not be pinpointed. It filled her ears from every direction. "Go back. Do not fight fate. Around you are the colours of your life..." The man's voice echoed across the sky like rolling thunder, almost like the voice of God. "Who are you?" Une asked, bewildered, but he continued without answering. "These are your colours. These will be your colours for as long as you exist here. There is nothing you can do to change that... So take heed, and do not go further than this..." She stood still, staring up into the sky. "What are you talking about?" "Long ago, you chose the path of your life. The choice was not good for you, but it was yours. You painted your life with the brushes of hate and anger, and the colours of remorseless sin. In your painting is the blood of the countless innocent. You have stained yourself with darkness, and it will follow you forever. You cannot change your path now..." Une looked around, and the scenery began to swirl, melting into a dark blur of colours, transforming into a blur of memories. She saw it all. Everything she had ever done. Her past with Oz, her past with Treize. She saw Relena's face as she wept over her father's dead body-the body of the man she herself had killed. And she saw Noventa, his angry shouts beating against her ears as he fell from the air shuttle, as she drew her gun and gave him passage to the next world. "MURDERER!" the furious voices screamed viciously against her ears. "MURDERER!" "TRAITOR!" "RANCOROUS CRIMINAL!" Angry accusations were thrown from almost every direction, and she could not bear it any longer. "You will never be able to change." "No!" Anna screamed. "No, you're wrong! I CAN change. I DID change!!" "Oh, have you? My dear child, open your eyes. You chose your life, and now you have to follow it. This is your fate. It is your destiny." The greys faded to black-the black of outer space. Before her lay a colony, the people's screams echoing as an MS prepared to fire at the structure. Her eyes widened and she tried to cry out, but nothing came. "YOU gave the order, but did you ever watch when others carried out your word?" A blinding light burst forth and the colony's outer shell ripped open, the vacuum of space rushing in, and then the colony itself ruptured, the lives- the countless innocent lives-dispersed amongst the stars. She had to turn away. "Do not take your eyes off the battlefield just yet, child..." Forcing herself to look up, she saw it. The Tallgeese II and Altron Gundam locked in mortal combat. "Treize," she whispered, as tears brimmed, blurring her vision. The blue and white mobile suit exploded in a ball of electric sparks, and Une screamed. "NO!" "Yes," replied the voice. "In the end, your path led you here. It lead you to heartbreak. To loss, to eternal darkness. And you cannot change this." The images faded, and once again, she was standing on the grey beach. But this would not be the end of her torment. It was just the beginning, and only the voice knew of it. "NO! Stop it!! I don't know who you are, and I don't care what you say! I HAVE changed! I HAVE moved on!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Her own voice sounded alien to her, and, not knowing what else she could do, she turned and ran down the stretch of grey beach, not daring once to look back. "Take my warning child!" the voice shouted behind her. "If you try to change what is destined to be, you will never make it... It will be your death..." Everything seemed to fade as she ran, and suddenly, the ground changed. What was once sand became jagged gravel, and she stumbled, falling onto the sharp stones. "No blood," Une whispered as she pulled herself from the ground. "...A dream..." By now, the sky had completely clouded over, and it began to rain. But instead of bringing the cold, wet relief to her overheated skin, it brought more heat. The rain was warm, and, curious, Anna held her palms out to catch the tiny droplets. It took her a moment to realize it, but when she looked down at the liquid that soaked into her white gloves, her heart almost stopped dead. "Blood!" she cried, staring down at her hands. "Blood- the blood of the countless innocent..." She began to shake uncontrollably. Was this her punishment for her past sins? Would she have to suffer this for an eternity? Not suffer by shedding her own blood and tears, but suffer by having the blood and tears of the innocent, shed by her hateful sin, rain down upon her until all of it was spilled?  
Thunder roared like a vengeful beast, and the blood rain fell faster, harder. But before any thought could completely process in her head, a sound, like an oncoming train, echoed through the heavy air. She looked up, and a light, a blinding white light, flashed for only a second, before disappearing behind the horizon.  
"What's happening?!?" Then there was another sound, like an explosion, and before she could react, or even scream, a wall of water and sand knocked her to the ground. Gasping, she fought against the current that pulled her under, and dragged herself onto the beach, away from the now receding water. Drenched completely, her tears fell. It was still raining.  
She sat exhausted on the sand, and burying her head in her hands, she sobbed silently, until something peculiar caught her eye. Just off the shore, tiny bubbles were rising to the surface of the water, slowing approaching the land. There, before her eyes, out of the grey water, rose a ghastly figure, not even wet from the pounding waves. It was a man, and she knew instantly who it was; that wavy dark hair, that stern façade, that pair of intense eyes. "Treize?" Her voice trembled as she called his name. But he did not answer. Behind him, from the murky depths, rose two other men and a woman. They did not carry smiles. Instead, in their dark, lifeless façades and narrowed eyes was written the sin of bloodlust. Hate. "Treize? What are you doing?" she cried, now truly afraid, as he stepped towards her. The others stopped in their tracks, as if watching intently. Staring into her fearful eyes, he drew his sword from its scabbard, and Anna began to back away. He still continued forward, death spelled across his lips as he raised his sword higher, to level with her throat.  
Finally, Une turned and ran as fast as she possibly could, not daring to look back, for fear that Treize-or what had become of him-was chasing close behind. She did not need to look back to know he was there, she could just hear his footsteps, and his sword slashing the air so very close behind her. Why was he doing this?? she thought, angry and confused. Why?? Then, her foot caught on an upturned root, and she fell like a rag doll against a birch bark tree. Panting, she turned around, knowing for sure he was there. Indeed, he was there, lowering his sword to level with her chest- her heart, which was beating madly against her rib cage. If it had not been a dream, it would surely have hurt to breathe. "Treize..."  
Evil, hateful laughter rang through the air. He drew his sword back, then, before Une could do anything at all, he lunged forward, and she screamed.  
  
The young Preventer jolted awake on the plane, out of breath, her hair matted to her forehead with cold sweat. Knowing she was alone, she let her tears fall again, placing her head in her hands and sobbing, distraught from the memories of such a vivid, yet colourless dream. A nightmare. She began to shake again uncontrollably. "Why?" she asked herself aloud. It had been four years. She hadn't dreamt of Treize since-since Mariemaia came into her life... and even then, never had he tried to kill her. "What's happening to me?" she whispered, and for the first time since the Eve of Wars, she cried herself to sleep.  
  
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AUTHOR'S NOTES:  
  
I AM SOOOOOOOO SORRY!!! Yurushite kudasai!!! Wait, I think I already  
apologized in advance for this whole psycho-dream thing. Just look at it as a  
poor attempt at foreshadow, ok? Besides, it's a law of anime: The most  
terrible, soul shaking scene HAS to, without exception, happen to the  
ONE person LEAST capable of dealing with it. hehehe. In this  
particular case: Lady Une. You have to admit it adds an oh-so-  
unbelievable plot twist. #_# 


	4. Beneath the Waves

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CHAPTER FOUR: BENEATH THE WAVES  
  
Count Dreizehn looked up from his desk when he heard a soft knock at the door to his quarters. "Herein," he said quietly, and the door creaked open. "Ah, Countess, a rough landing we had, but I trust that since we are still able to speak with each other, the ship must have survived the impact..." He smiled, that playful sparkle reflecting in his deep blue eyes.  
"Yes, Herr," she replied softly. "The carrier withstood re-entry as well as the impact. The chutes deployed and we hit the Mediterranean seabed."  
"Were we on the mark?"  
"Yes, Herr. We have landed within a twenty mile radius of the SchwarzRe?en."  
"Good." There came another knock at the door, and a tall, silver- haired man entered the room. His eyebrows rose when he saw that the Countess was already inside.  
"Oh... Wie bitte1? I did not know the two of you were alone." He smiled and the Countess blushed, just a little.  
"Herr General, we were not-" she tried to say in half-scolding tone of voice, but the older man held his hand up to silence the azure-eyed woman. Then he turned to the Count, who also was taken aback by his implication.  
"Es tut mir Leid2, Count. But you must learn to lock your door." He grinned as he continued. "I will leave, but Herr Dreizehn, please report to the main flight deck as soon as you-are able to." He smiled at the Countess as he left, shutting the door behind him. "I believe he was insinuating something..." Eins mumbled under her breath. "Yes, I do believe he was. But can you blame him, Countess? After all-" Dreizehn stopped and smiled gently at the young Countess. She flushed and quickly looked to the ground, aware that her face was turning red. "No, Herr. I suppose I cannot."  
  
"We landed on our mark, Herr," an officer said as the Count entered the main deck of the now-submerged carrier. He nodded looked to the older man who sat by a communications console. "There were matters to be discussed, General?" he asked, and the man looked up. "Yes, Count. We must tell the units that came ahead of us that we have landed safely. We will contact-" "We will contact no one." "What is this?" "We cannot risk contact," the blue-eyed Count began to explain, as the General listened intently. "The chances are great that any communication between us the rest of the fleet will be intercepted. We do not want to fall into premature discovery. We would be putting the rebirth at risk, and we will lose our element of surprise." The General nodded, prompting the younger man to continue. "The convoy will know of what we are doing. The safest thing would be to abandon this carrier as soon as possible, and reach the SchwarzRe?en under the cover of the nightfall. We have almost a week of resources to survive here, am I correct?" "I understand. You are very right." The silver-haired man gave the orders to the officers, before turning on heel to leave the deck. He smiled at the Countess as she entered to speak with Dreizehn.  
  
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"They still have not made contact, Count Zwei. Do you think they might not have made it safely?" the man asked as he held a lit cigar between his index finger and thumb. He eyed it, but did not inhale the smoke.  
"They are here," the other replied.  
"Oh?"  
"Count Dreizehn would not be foolish enough to try and make contact. It could endanger the entire Neu-Ro. They will come here to the SchwarzRe?en by next nightfall. I am sure of it." Count Vierzehn nodded. Zwei held up a glass and a bottle of brandy. "Would you care for some?" The other declined, but the Count splashed some into his own glass, and held it up to the light. The amber liquid sparkled like a glass of deeply coloured gems, so inviting to the eye, but he did not drink.  
"Have the systems been brought back on line yet?" Vierzehn finally asked.  
"Yes. Everything has been completely restored. This base is now fully protected, but still geheim3. Lest someone try to infiltrate our ranks..."  
"We will be prepared for that?"  
"Yes, we will."  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
"Air pressure?"  
"System running on auto-adjust."  
"High powered beam lighting?"  
"Fully charged."  
"Global tracking systems?"  
"Online."  
"Self-defence fight or flight?"  
"Ready."  
"Engines?"  
"Engaged and on stand by, Ma'am."  
"So we're all set," Preventer Une mumbled. "Michals, you're in charge of the surface ship. Tell Preventer Water to report to the sub's main deck. Have all crews on stand-by." The officer behind the console nodded.  
"Yes, Ma'am." He stood up and left the control deck of the surface ship. Une stood, assessing the sub from her place above the boarding terminal, then allowing, unconsciously, her mind to wander away. She gazed out onto the vast expanse of the Mediterranean. The memory of her dream returned; those dark grey waters, the voice, the blood rain... and Treize. She shook her head. No, Une thought. A mere dream will NOT pull you back to where you began. You said you moved on, and it's about time you let go... completely.  
"Preventer Une?" An officer's voice broke her from her thoughts, and she turned to face him. "Preventer Water has boarded the sub. We await your presence."  
"Thank you." She nodded and dismissed the officer. Yes, Anna, it is time you let go. There are much more important things to worry about right now. She turned and followed the young man down to the sub's boarding port.  
  
She was the last to climb aboard the Explorer before the hatch was sealed and the sub descended into the icy sea water. She broke away momentarily from the bridge crew to keep log on the expedition.  
  
  
  
"It's probably just space debris," Une whispered to herself, but she knew, this was more of a hope than a certainty. "Still, we will have to take all necessary precautions." She sighed despairingly as the word revolution crossed paths with her thoughts.  
"Preventer Une!" a voice from the main deck called over the intercom, reeling her mind back to reality. "Please report to bridge immediately. We've found something!!" In an instant, she was there with the crew, peering through the fogged glass, their expressions changing from initial shock, to worry, to fear... The thing they had dreaded most was sitting before them on the rocky sea bed.  
"It can't be," Une whispered after a few long moments of uneasy silence.  
"It is," an officer replied from his computer. "And it's completely functional. Most of the systems are still online as we speak. It is still capable of sustaining human life...and, if I may, I'd like to express that I think it still is."  
They navigated the currents and pulled the sub closer to the sunken object. It was undoubtedly an MS carrier. "Damn," Une whispered as the sub circled the submerged transport ship.  
"Ma'am, I've located a docking port. We can link the sub and check it out," Preventer Koush told her as she kept her eyes locked on the sunken carrier. It was massive, and definitely large enough to hold an entire MS unit. And if there were anymore like it... "Ma'am? Should we dock?"  
"No."  
"Huh?"  
"It's too risky with our current defences. We must resurface and notify the shoreline crews of its existence. We'll need back up."  
"But Ma'am-"  
"We can't take chances, Officer." She turned around to face the rest of the crew. "It is one thing I have learned from the past. We cannot risk resources, nor can we risk lives, by taking foolish chances. We will resurface immediately."  
The others nodded in agreement, but before Sally could take her post at the console, an explosion of bubbles burst from the carrier, and the water and air expelled from the outburst sent a wave of underwater currents rushing, knocking the Explorer off balance. For a few fateful seconds, the dive team fought for control of the sub, and when it was finally regained, Une caught a glimpse of the last fleeing MS, propelling itself away from the whole commotion. Well, it wasn't actually the last...  
"Shit! Look out!" she yelled, practically throwing herself into the piloting seat, and grabbing hold of the controls. She banked the sub steeply to the left, just barely dodging the close-range missile. "They're firing on us!" She pulled the Explorer around a full 180, bringing them to face their attacker. The mobile suit fired again, and Anna's old military instincts came flooding back to her. Koush took control of the sub as Une jumped to the SD console, firing a counter-defence. Her aim was on the mark, and the missile's impact disabled the MS's only feasible underwater weapon. It turned to retreat.  
"Was that a Pisces?!" an officer exclaimed, but Une shook her head.  
"No, it wasn't. Did you see it's design? It was something new. something we've never faced before."  
"Another Gundam?" She shook her head again.  
"Not likely. It was too easy to fend off. We wouldn't be alive, right here, right now, if it were another-Gundam. Believe me, I know."  
"But why would it attack..."  
"A diversion. So the others could get away." Une knew her strategies well. She had pulled a stunt like that once or twice during the days of Oz...  
As everyone's nerves calmed, a vidalink signal came through. "FX Explorer, this is Preventer Michals. Radar has picked up several unidentified targets fleeing rapidly towards the northeast. Is everything alright? Can you hear us?" Une was on the lower deck, checking for damages.  
"This is the FX Explorer, Preventer Une speaking. Michals, I want your full attention," Une said hurriedly and calmly. "Have all coastguards on high alert, and send out a relay message. All Preventers' offices in the European hemisphere remain on stand by for a code-red. Get in contact with Preventers Fire and Wind, and have them online via the vidalink as soon as possible. You will be informed of the details when we resurface. Be ready."  
"Yes, Ma'am."  
Seeing there was no relevant damage to the hull, Une headed back to the main deck. Revolution. The word crossed through her mind once again, and she stopped in the stairwell as she remembered something. With a sigh, she pulled the silver chain from around her neck, and held the rose-shaped pendant in her hand, fingering over the delicate carving. On the back, under a thin coat of glass, was a tiny, faded picture. "It's happening all over again," she whispered. "Only this time, everything depends on my own decisions. Treize isn't here. I can't rely on anyone to take charge and stop this before it gets worse. It's up to me."  
  
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"No way," Preventer Wind muttered as Une finished explaining the details of the first investigation. "That couldn't be possible."  
"Quite frankly, it is," Sally said grimly, turning to Preventer Fire, who shared the vidalink with Zechs. "The mobile suits were a completely new model, but we do not know of their origin. The carrier was completely unmarked. However, I think it has fallen far beyond reasonable doubt that they came from the L2."  
Noin nodded. "We will meet you at Earth's headquarters as soon as we can."  
"Thank you," Une acknowledged as she cut the communication link.  
  
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1 Wie bitte?: "excuse me" 2 Es tut mir Leid: "I am sorry" 3 Geheim: "secret"  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES:  
  
OK, so far we've seen the beginnings of a secret plot against the  
Earth, and Une's had a really freaky dream. Something, which we know  
is an MS carrier, crashed into the Mediterranean, and a new model of  
mobile suit, not a Gundam, attacked a Preventers' investigation sub.  
Is this GOING anywhere?? That depends on your point of view. I promise  
it will get better.  
Oh, and for those who weren't sure: Zechs is once again Preventer  
Wind, and Noin is Preventer Fire. They returned (married) from the  
Mars Terraforming project and rejoined the organization. 


	5. Darkness

*******************************************************************  
  
CHAPTER FIVE: DARKNESS  
  
"This way," Duo motioned with a swift gesture. Hilde and the Preventers who had followed watched in utter shock as he pressed down on the solid brick, causing a heavy door to swing open. Before them lay a staircase descending into darkness.  
"You are certain this place has been abandoned?" Preventer Walker asked, hesitating in the passageway. Duo nodded, urging him, and the rest, onward. It indeed was dark; a blackness looming like that equal only to death. Duo felt Hilde tremble as she clung tightly to his arm, and he pulled her close, if only to reassure her, and himself, that this place was nothing to be feared. It was, he remembered, the place he had gotten hailed with automatic fire for the first time in three years. That feeling wasn't a very pleasant one.  
"It's empty. There's no one here," one of the officers who had gone on ahead to weigh up the danger called as they reached the floor of the main hangar.  
"Good," Preventer Walker answered. "We will comb the premises, but be on guard. It may look deserted now, but if something were to." The others nodded. Duo turned and took a quick glance around, still uneasy after his first encounter with whomever existed in this dark hell. Preventer Walker and the other officers were already out of sight.  
"Duo!" Hilde called, and then he realized she had left his side. "Come look at this!" He turned on heel at the sound of her voice, anxious but eager, and joined her in what seemed like an even darker darkness than where he had been standing.  
  
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Mediterranean Sea: August 27, 199 A.C  
  
Une had long since given up pacing about, aware with much thanks to Sally, that she would wear a hole through the floor and the hull of the ship if she continued on, and now sit edgily at her desk, tapping her fingernails over her keyboard. The past few days she'd been at sea were far from anything described as pleasant. A floating island had been summoned from the Aegean to surface the MS carrier, and now they could only wait to discover what they already had confirmed. There was no doubt now that the World Nation was in danger. But what bothered Une was that the Earth was completely powerless to defend itself. If only His Excellency had been here, not I, she thought. If Treize had been the one who lived, he would have known this was coming. He would have known what to do and how to stop it. What am I capable of? "Ma'am?" asked Walker, who had entered the office without her taking notice. She donned her glasses and looked up. Suddenly, the Lady Une whose psyche had finally become stable as one entity, not the two personas she had once possessed, lost her gentle complexion. Her eyes narrowed; her façade became that of the solid, unwavering Colonel Une who had existed so long ago. "Yes, Preventer Walker?" Her voice was strong, but not hard. "Preventer Water has been overseeing the resurfacing operation. The carrier is still only one sixth above water level, but that is as far as the floating island can bring it. We await the clearance from you to search it out." Une nodded as she stood. "We will search the carrier now. Have the crews prepared, the back-up on stand by if we require it." "Yes, Ma'am." He left as quickly as he had entered, perhaps somewhat frightened by her sudden change of personality. Une took a step to follow, but caught her reflection in the mirrored glass beside the doorway. There was not the Anna who had parted with the past. There did not stand the Preventer who sought after peace, who sought to fulfill the people's dream. She was slowly becoming Une: the reckless warrior who had lost everything to the Eve of Wars. The Une who donned her glasses and did whatever was necessary to attain the upper hand in a battle. "No," she whispered. "No, it doesn't have to be like this. I don't need her help." But that voice of her parted psyches told otherwise. This must be, she answered herself. If you want to be capable of something, if you want to control what happens here and now. "No." Her eyes widened. "No, I don't need to be like this. Not again. Not ever again!" She whirled around in the empty office, pulling off her glasses, the symbol of the Colonel Une who was trying to escape into the world once more. She sent them sailing across the room, and they shattered against the far wall, the broken shards of glass scattering over the floor. She looked into the mirrored glass again, pleased with the Preventer Une she saw standing there. "I am Anna. I may not be a Khushrenada. I will never be a Khushrenada, not in blood or in name, but I am still capable of doing what must be done. Mariemaia will carry on her father's name, and I will make sure there is an Earth on which she, and all the rest, can live." With that, Une left the office, thankful that no one else had been witness to her battle with herself. It disturbed her to think that for a moment, she would have returned to the past she had struggled to free herself from. For a moment it seemed like the only thing to do; it seemed right. She had banished that moment, unwilling to return to such sin, but for how long? This was what the dream had warned her of: darkness.  
  
"Anna, we've set the ship crew; the investigations team is standing by."  
"So I've noticed," Une answered rather bluntly, jerking her head in the direction of several officers standing on the lower deck of the floating island. They were waiting, yet hardly anticipating, what they would find within the carrier which had been retrieved from the seabed. "I trust we are prepared. properly armed?"  
Sally sighed, "Aikawarazu1. We've had no choice lately."  
Une nodded her agreement very briskly. "Ikou!2" she commanded as she and Preventer Water boarded the platform. A port entrance to the carrier had already been broken open. Handguns drawn, the first group entered the dark metallic hell, in which, even if they did not expect it now, the Satan of insurrection had placed itself on the Earth. It seemed that Sally had already mapped out the interior of the ship electronically, and assigned each officer their sector to run a search. Danger was an imminent entity, yet this seemed the least of things on Preventer Une's mind. "We've no time to spare," she mumbled quietly as she and Sally shined a searchlight down the empty passage. Her voice carried, and the metal walls seemed to echo the one word she had not spoken aloud: Revolution.  
  
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"Hilde, what did you--?" She shot him a frightened glance and Duo hushed, bringing himself to stand beside her. She raised a flashlight in front of them, revealing a row of consoles and computer screens. "Ya think they still work?" In the darkness, Hilde rolled her eyes.  
"Why wouldn't they? It's not like they're some ancient contraption from the Earth's horrible, warring past."  
"Hilde, they are," Duo interrupted, a flash of fear and anger streaking like lightning through his blood.  
"What?" Duo lifted his flashlight; the beam of tinted yellow light inched its way up the wall, revealing a large tapestry draped behind the consoles. The rich velvet seemed to glow; the gold embroidering glittered like thousands of tiny diamonds strung together. Hilde gasped, dropping her searchlight. It clattered to the ground with an unsteady, almost eerie chime. There before them stood a nightmare waiting for its turn to unfold.  
"Chikusho3." Before them, on the Persian blue velvet was the crest of the gold eagle, spreading its wings valiantly with its head turned to the left and its glowing red eyes narrowed, as it soar over the twin peaks.  
Hilde closed her eyes for just a moment, unwilling to believe what lie in plain sight before her. "No, it couldn't be-"  
"ROMEFELLER!" Duo jumped, muttering a series of curses as he jumped over the consoles and touched the bottom edge of the tapestry. His fingers tightened around the material. "Didn't they learn what they'd done was wrong? Didn't they-of all the people to return to this Earth, why did it have to be them?" He slammed his fist against the wall. "Why Romefeller?"  
"Duo." Hilde whispered.  
"Hilde?"  
"Look at the tapestry again."  
"What? Why?" He looked up, his anger boiling even higher. "What the fuck?" Behind the eagle was the lavender dove's feather. Three years had still not buried its symbolism to the world. "Chigau!4" "The Barton Foundation." Duo slammed both fists against the wall, and then brought his head to rest upon it. "Dammit, Hilde, do you think that they-" He fell silent for a moment. This was it, he thought. This would be the end. If Romefeller and the Bartons had, together, reinstated Operation METEOR, the world would end. The people would fall into the hands of a merciless dictatorship, and the Shinigami5 would be powerless to stop it. "Two billion people will die," he whispered hoarsely, choking on his words. "Two billion innocent people, dammit." "Maybe not, Duo," Hilde said softly. "Let's find the others."  
  
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"God dammit!" Une had seen what Duo and Hilde had, but this time, it was painted metallic upon the wall of the lower hangar. "Bloody fuckers didn't realize how much the Earth had paid the last time! They'll destroy it all!" Suddenly, Une collapsed to the ground, tears bursting forth, and Sally was there, her arm around her friend's trembling shoulders. "Why?"  
From that point on, everything that existed, everything that went on seemed to float by in a dream. Everything seemed surreal. The officers completed the carrier investigation, filed a report, and sunk it to the seabed once again. What they had found consisted of those hell sent insignias of the Romefeller and Barton and dozens of computer consoles. On those consoles lay data on the carrier's course to Earth, the plans for occupying the Schwarz Re?en, and the specs for more than a dozen new models of mobile suits and dolls. Some messages were coded, and never in the data did appear any name of their leader, or their soldiers. The Preventers did manage to establish, though, that these people called themselves the Neu- Romefeller--Neu-Ro, in short. and they were planning a revolution.  
She stood, almost like a figurehead, on the ship's upper deck as it made its way back to the Northern shore. There was no sun today; it was hidden by the thick grey clouds of a threatening storm. She watched the waves rise and fall, hypnotically, their bleak colour splashing against the hull of the ship.  
"You painted your life with the brushes of hate and anger, and the colours of remorseless sin," a voice echoed inside her head, and the Preventer closed her eyes, a desperate attempt to shut it out. "No." "You have stained yourself with darkness, and it will follow you forever." A raven's cry shrieked through the air, though none, she knew, flew these seas. The blue skies and sandy gold shores of the Mediterranean ceased to exist. Instead, the entire landscape, from the sea to the mountains, was only shades of grey. The beach extended far beyond sight, but was deserted, and inland laid only the shadows of the things that should have been. "No." She was seeing something familiar.this was the image her dream had painted out. These were the colours of her life. And this time, they were real. They existed in the world where she could not find escape. It began to rain, and she pushed herself away form the railing, turning to the shelter of the lower deck. "Oh God, why won't I be left alone?" Her vision blurred, she slammed the door of her quarters and collapsed onto the bunk. "Why?" Two days after the carrier investigation, Une had returned to Preveza. "It was confirmed The Schwarz Re?en has been occupied. There are at least 300 mobile suits guarding the main and south side gates." Une nodded stiffly, though she barely heard a word of it. The officer continued on, oblivious to Une, who was sitting perfectly still, but not paying much attention. "The matter was reported to the President, Ma'am." She nodded again. "He heeded the advice of our Preventers and took shelter with his family in the Nagoya district. We have thirty of our officers serving there as armed guards." Once again, Une nodded and dismissed the officer. Bits and pieces of past occurrences floated around, clashing with the current events she was struggling to comprehend. If she could not cope with this, what would happen when the darkness of her dream finally made its way to the real world?  
"Anna?" She looked up to see Noin and Zechs in front of her desk. Noin sighed deeply, "We heard. Romefeller and the Barton Foundation have combined. They are the Neu-Ro now, right?" Zechs nodded.  
"Where is Mariemaia?"  
"I left her with Relena in the Sanc. There was no safer place, I suppose. But I-" Une drew in a shaky breath. "I didn't want something like this thrust upon her again. What would Treize-?" She lowered her gaze and dropped her hands to her lap. Treize. Why had she said his name aloud?  
"We understand, Anna. It's okay. She's where she should be at a time like this. What of the developments of the Re?en?" Zechs asked quietly. Une nodded her head, reality dawning upon her like the military instinct that was still fighting to get free. She loaded the files onto her computer.  
"Sally's on the Aegean, and she's confirmed the extent of the military force at the Re?en. This organization has been establishing links across the world."  
Noin's eyes widened. "Then that means-"  
"We expect them to declare was war against the World Nation within twenty-four hours. and the bad news doesn't end there." Une's tone was sombre; the scene was all too familiar.  
"What is it?" Noin leaned forward in her seat.  
"The Re?en is not the only one."  
"You mean-"  
"Lake Victoria, AkaiRyu, New Edwards, and SeeleScruro. There are several other bases stationed that we have yet to retrieve data on, or even uncover. These people mean business when I say it."  
"God dammit, it's happening all over again." Zechs brought a heavy hand down on Une's desk; she nearly jumped.  
  
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The young Preventer sat alone behind her desk that night, the darkness of her office blending in with the black hopelessness she fought to wipe from her mind. A new organization was to declare war against the Nation, yet the Preventers were powerless to stop them if their aggression proceeded. "With their force against ours, what hope will we have?" she asked herself.  
"None. unless you decide upon your destiny," came a voice from the desolate shadows.  
"Who's there?" With one swift, graceful motion, Une was on her feet, her revolver in her hand. "Show yourself now," she commanded, eyes narrowed with the anger that hid her fear.  
From the darkness stepped a woman who met Une's gaze with a fiery pride, one almost like her own. "It's been long, child," she whispered to Anna, "but the time has finally come." Clutching the pistol tighter, Une focused on the lighted silhouette before her, and shocked, she took a faltering step back. Her gaze met a pair of deep cocoa eyes, exactly like her own. This woman was the aged image of the young Preventer. It was, following a cliché, a mirror into the future.  
"Mother?" was all that slipped from her tongue. The woman smiled, and suddenly, all the danger, all the distance the years had accumulated, melted away, and Anna dropped her gun. It landed on the carpet with a soft thud.  
"Little one, I did what I had to do fifteen years ago. Do you forgive me?" Une's eyes filled with tears. "I had to do something, so that this Earth, and you, would be secure. Now it seems the worst has arrived, and." The woman looked upon her daughter with a mixed emotion of joy, sadness, and remorse. "Did you know you had a burden placed on your shoulders on the day you were born?"  
Une shook her head. "I have many burdens to live with. Please leave it at that, Mother. I do not wish to remember."  
"But this one is the worst." Une raised her eyebrows.  
"The worst?" She could not help the memories that returned at the mention of a single word. "Could anything be worse than the life I led after you left? I became a soldier. I watched my closest friends and family die. I killed so many innocent. What burden could be worse than the deaths of thousands weighing on your soul?" Suddenly, she was angry. She was angry with fate, with the world, and with herself. "Is there anything worse than this?" she demanded, and her mother closed her eyes and lowered her head.  
"The day you were born, Anna, you were bestowed a destiny by all of the scientists I worked with. We were the five women associated with the scientists of METEOR. As much as we strove to match their achievements, we also existed to back them up. We created what would be there if they failed. The Celestéon was an MS given to your control in the future. The future is here now. Anna, deny it, and hate me for it, but you are a Gundam pilot."  
"What?"  
"The Celestéon was a Gundam built at the same time as the original Tallgeese VO prototype. The Celestéon was its equal match, either to be used with or against the Tallgeese or against any other mobile suit which threatened the Earth. Its power belongs to you."  
Anna shook her head. "No."  
"The Earth is in danger, little one. I've waited all this time to be able to return to you, but you must think. and decide wisely. Celestéon can stop this revolution."  
"I understand, mother." Une stepped from behind her desk, embracing the woman she had previously meant to kill. "At least you're alive. I thought for certain that you'd died. I was so certain." The tears had resurfaced.  
"Take the Celestéon. You are one of the few who can make a difference now." Une's eyes narrowed as an unhealed wound opened in her soul.  
"A difference? Had I piloted that thing four years ago, I could have stopped that Gundam pilot. I could have saved Treize. Four years ago would have been the time to make a difference. Four years ago, I could have made a difference. but now he's dead. He's dead and the Tallgeese is gone. Along with it has gone Celestéon's meaning, because it was Tallgeese's counterpart."  
"No, child. Four years ago you could have made a difference, yes, but only because you believe so. You did make a difference. Because of you, the people can still have hope for a future. I know I placed this burden on you, but please. Anna."  
"Mother-"  
"Whether your counterpart exists to side you or not makes no difference. Celestéon is yours. Four years ago is the same as now, little one. You'll see it, and understand why in time. But for now, listen to me. You will need courage to make it through this, Anna. Courage. and a strong heart. I've given you what I can to help, but this is as much your battle, your burden, as it was four years ago." Une nodded, dropping her gaze to the floor. "Here." The woman placed a disk gently on Une's desk. "You may do as you wish with this, but please remember."  
"What is this?"  
"You can use it to locate the Celestéon and access its pilot programs. You may not have much faith in yourself, but I do, Anna. I do." Une reached over, holding the disk with one hand and fingering over the intricate designs on the front cover. She smiled. "A rose."  
"I watched you a few times, from the shadows. You loved these flowers as much as I did." Une hardly seemed to hear; her mind had already left to the concept that she had a destiny so similar to the five young boys who had journeyed to Earth some four and a half years ago.  
"So, I'm a Gundam pilot." The older woman smiled softly.  
"Good-bye, musume.6" With that, the woman disappeared into the shadows, gone before Une could do or say anything more.  
  
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1: Aikawarazu: Roughly means "the same as always" 2: Ikou: "Let's go" or "Come on" 3: Chikusho: "Shit" or "Damn" 4: Chigau: "No way!" 5: Shinigami: "the God of Death" 6: Musume: "daughter"  
  
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Author's notes:  
  
Yeah, well, anyway. This was a bit bizarre. Come on, Une fighting with  
herself? HA! That must've sucked. . Oh, don't worry. It'll get  
worse. It's not like I'm through messing with Une's mind yet. And  
what's all this about her MOTHER? And about her being a GUNDAM  
PILOT??? Geez. I was SOOO on a Halloween sugar high when I wrote this.  
Oh well, I wonder what'll happen when a few of our "old friends"  
acquire some extra-early "Christmas presents". hehehe. Yeah, you know  
what I'm talking about. ^_____^ 


	6. ShinjiruBelieve

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CHAPTER SIX: SHINJIRU.BELIEVE  
  
"A Gundam?" Noin asked, shaking her head in disbelief. Une had told both Noin and Zechs about the woman she'd confronted the previous night, and about the disk she'd said could stop the revolution if Une chose to use it rather than destroy it.  
"It must be a trap." Zechs eyed the disk Une had showed him, turning it in every way possible as if expecting to trigger an explosive device.  
"She was my mother, Zechs. I know it. I could feel it."  
"Then you have to believe it. Anna-"  
Sally's face appeared on the VidaLink before Noin could say any more. No smiles accompanied her greeting. "Preventer Une?"  
"Yes, Sally?"  
"We're running out of time." Her statement was blunt but to the point. "They've already opened a number of communication channels that could span the Earth and colonies, but so far, they haven't said a word. We're still waiting to find out exactly who the leader is, and where the Neu-Ro's true intent lies."  
"Who's there leader, I wonder," Preventer Fire ventured, and Une turned around to face her and Zechs.  
"A new face, no doubt, but hopefully someone with a little more sense of fashion then the last one we dealt with." She was referring to Dekim, and for the first time in days, the tension seemed to lift, just a little, and all four Preventers laughed. Dekim did have quite a style running. Luckily, it didn't catch.  
  
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"Who are you?" Heero demanded of the woman standing before him. His apartment was completely empty, except for these two beings, neither wanting to threaten or even confront the other. Heero would not accept it, but he feared this woman as much as she did him.  
"You are Heero Yuy, no?"  
"What does that matter?" The woman's clear blue eyes glowed, bemused.  
"I thought for sure you'd make the connection, Heero, but then, Jay always wore those stupid glasses. Heero, my name is Atarii." The boy took a step back at the sound of her name. Not from fear or defensiveness, just shock. "Did he ever mention me?"  
"Chigau! You're Doctor J's sister! One of the five female scientists that were acquainted with the five from Operation METEOR." The older woman nodded in agreement, her light grey locks of hair draping down her back, like Jay's did.  
"What do you want from me, Atarii?"  
"Have you heard about what is happening on the Earth?" She answered his question with a question of her own, and Heero accepted it.  
"A new force is planning a revolution."  
"Yes, and I need you to do the Earth a favour. Lady Une won't be able to do it on her own. Maraiya has already revealed her burden to the child. If she can't bring herself to accept it, there can be no more hope. You must back her up." Heero understood, and he nodded before following her back into the shadows from which she had mysteriously appeared.  
"Besides, Heero, hasn't it been a while since you've seen Relena?"  
"Excuse me?"  
  
WuFei jumped back, his katana drawn. "Hotaru, are you insane, woman?" She stood there, not even flinching as he poised to strike out with his blade.  
"No more than my husband was," she answered dryly. The Chinese boy laughed, despite himself, and slipped the blade back into its sheath.  
"And no more than my fiancée is, I suppose." He nodded as she motioned for him to follow her. "I'll accept. Besides, it's my duty as a Preventer. Sally would be extremely pissed if I turned away from this."  
  
Quatre looked out the window at his estates, a sadness piercing his heart as the woman behind him spoke. "I understand what you're saying, Kyuri," he whispered, lowering his head. "Once again I will have to leave this place. Once again I might have to watch its beauty go up in flames. We humans still have not learned the value of peace."  
"It is a pity, Quatre-san."  
"But this must be done. I will, Kyuri, I will." The woman tucked her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. Her violet eyes shone with gratitude.  
"You still have such kind heart, Quatre. Such understanding of how much life is worth. Maraiya's daughter will need your help." Quatre turned around. "Maraiya's daughter?" "Yes. I'm sure you've met Lady Une.or Anna. before." He was taken aback at the woman's words. Lady Une of the Preventers? Could that mean.  
"You mean that the legend of the Celestéon is-"  
"Real? Yes, Quatre-san."  
"And Preventer Une was destined to pilot it?"  
"You don't believe me?" Quatre shook his head.  
"It's not that, Kyuri. It's just. Celestéon was the Tallgeese's  
counterpart. Everyone in the world can take it that she and Treize were once meant to fight together.to be together. Do you think she'll be able to-"  
The woman nodded. "We'll see in time, when she decides what to do with Celestéon. Remember, she is, after all, Maraiya's daughter."  
"Alright, Kyuri, ikou." "Thank you." He smiled and turned to follow the woman. "But Une has two choices, right? Use the Celestéon to fight off the Neu-Ro, or else destroy it." "No, she has three choices." "What?" "The third you shall learn when the time arrives."  
  
"I never expected a woman to be a part of any of this, Ranna."  
"That is because our service was to be preserved for only a time like this." Trowa nodded his understanding. "And it is because the people refuse to learn that hatred gives rise to only hatred that such action as this is necessary." "Correct. Did you get that line from the VFM, Trowa?" He grinned rather smugly. "Of course not."  
  
"Be careful, Duo, please," Hilde whispered, and he nodded. "Don't worry." He slipped into the shadows with the woman who claimed to be Nanako. This was a destiny that would leave none of them alone. "For Hilde, Nanako, Une, and the Earth, we're coming!" Duo shouted to the stars as five points of light once again hurtled towards the blue-green planet called Earth.  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
"Heero! Can you hear this?" Duo asked, turning on the VidaLink from his capsule. "The Earth's run out of time." Heero nodded, as did the others. At this moment, all eyes were turned upon the static blankness of the world's communication screens. This was the declaration of war.  
  
"Shit!" Zechs muttered as he, Noin, Sally, and Une watched from the Preventers' Headquarters in Brussels. "They've decided they waited long enough." Une nodded, but her expression was blank. The rebels hadn't even spoken, yet she felt already she'd failed.  
"Don't drop all the blame on yourself, Anna," Sally whispered as she placed a hand on Une's shoulder. "It's not-" But she could say no further. The revolutionist leader appeared on the VidaLink, and all citizens of the Earth and Colonies gasped, their eyes widening at the sight of his face.  
"Oh my God!" Noin shouted, jumping from her seat. "Oh my God, that couldn't be." The young, blue-eyed Count Dreizehn sat before the people he sought to take control of. Only now, he wasn't just the Count Dreizehn. Duo had been right. The people of the Earth held their breaths, now truly afraid.  
"It is in the human consciousness to fight," began the voice of past eloquence, "and to follow as one leads the way to whatever future there may be. It is a human desire to battle, to fight to gain power, and those who lack strength and lose these battles willingly fall to obey the victors. This power, this obedience of mankind before us is what we seek, and with us, the dawn of a new age will arrive. We will rule the EarthSphere." The voice did not waver, did not grow harsh, nor did it soften. His last words hung in the air as the final note of a chime melody would, echoing in the ears of all who heard. "This is Treize Khushrenada, leader of the Neu-Romefeller. It is our intent to retake our position as the leaders of the World Nation, and we hereby declare war against the EarthSphere. We do not wish for bloodshed, or civilian casualties, therefore we are giving the EarthSphere and the Preventers Organization seventy-three hours to hand over the power of authority and step down. If, by the end of this period, they do not surrender, we will begin our attack. And we assure you, we are completely prepared to do so." The communication link was cut, and the entire Earth had fallen silent. Treize Khushrenada had appeared before them, back from the dark solitude of his grave. His icy sapphire eyes brought the Earth to shudder violently, piercing the very souls of all who had heard his declaration. Again the Romefeller sought the centre stage of power. They had declared war.  
  
"Was that Father?" Mariemaia whispered softly, but none in her presence seemed to hear. They were asking the same question.  
  
The Preventers office was just as silent; its occupants still, as if frozen in this one moment of time. The ice in Treize's eyes was enough to stop them all in their tracks. Seconds ticked by like hours as they tried to comprehend; these hours could not help distinguish the emotions existing for only moments at a time. Initial shock was all that was needed. Une stood slowly. "It's a lie," she whispered hoarsely, as if she were choking back tears, and Noin saw the emotions that swirled like a storm in her eyes. "It's all just a lie. It's not him. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be!" "Anna," Zechs whispered, but she had turned and fled the room. "Anna!" "How dare they?" she cried as she slammed the door behind her. Zechs stood to follow her, but Sally put her hand out. "Leave her be, Wind." He whirled around to face Sally, at a loss for why any friend of Une's would allow her to run off and suffer alone. "Zechs, she took the Celestéon's disk with her." He nodded as he sat down. "Then she might have-" "She thinks they've tried to impersonate General Treize. I think that was the final straw for her. She could put a line of patience up for these rebels, she could handle their secret plots mobile suits, but she will not tolerate them posing as Mister Treize. That's just how she is." Zechs smiled slightly. "Then they've made one hell of a wrong move. Une's going to kick their rebel asses from here to the farthest colony, not for starting a war, but for impersonating Treize." Noin laughed aloud, but Sally's expression stopped her short. "Even if she did take the Celestéon, she wouldn't stand a chance alone against the rebel force." She shook her head. "We can't stop their aggression without some help." "And that's where we come in," a soft voice came from the shadows. Immediately, Zechs was standing in front of the two women with him, his gun drawn to protect them from the intruders. "Who's there?" Noin demanded, soon standing behind Zechs, her pistol in hand as well. The barrels of both guns were pointed to the shadowed back entrance of the room. "Who are you?" "We are the help you need," came a second woman's voice. "Yes," whispered the third. "All five of us have come, the bringers of hope with news. When your five old friends reach the Earth, Maraiya's daughter will have all the help she needs." The scientists stepped into the dim light; Sally and Noin gasped. "Then that means-" "The God of Death is back from Hell!" Duo's voice echoed through the VidaLink. "Yo, long time no see! You guys think you can hold out until we get there?" He winked as he spoke, and then Heero's face overtook the screen. "Hey, buddy, what do you think you're doing?" "These communication channels are for important broadcasts only, Duo." "Oh, and I'm not important?" Sally shook her head and sighed. "We're scheduled to reach the Earth within a few hours; our course ensures we'll land in the Mediterranean, as close to Brussels as we possibly can manage." Noin nodded. "Good. Une's already gone to retrieve the Celestéon. She'll need your help." Duo's face filled the screen again. "Lemme guess. She's pissed off because that rebel scum was impersonating His Excellency, and now she's gonna kick their asses for it." "No, shit, Duo," Heero muttered as he switched the screen again. "The leader of the Neu-Ro sure did a good job, though. He had me fooled for a minute, too." Noin shook her head in disbelief. "No way. Are all five of you coming back the Earth?" Duo nodded.  
  
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All Une could hear was the sound of her footsteps beneath her, in rhythmic counterpoint to the rapid beating of her heart. They had discovered that Celestéon lay hidden at the foot of mountains only less than a mile from the office in Preveza. She was going to retrieve it.  
"How dare they?" she cried out again, but the back roads were empty, the forest trails without a human or animal to here her desperate question. The moment his face appeared on the VidaLink, her heart jumped, but that happiness faded away as the seconds passed, replaced by boundless anger. anger and hatred. "How dare they steal his name-his identity-for their meaningless revolution?" She stopped in her tracks, breathing heavily. "Oh, Treize," she whispered onto the passing wind, gazing up at the stars that shone above her. Tears blurred her vision, but she fought to hold them back. "For a moment I had hoped that it was really you. I'm so sorry."  
She began to run again, hatred boiling in her blood. She would not allow those-animals-to use Treize's name for gaining power. She would not allow it. At the foot of the mountain lay numerous cave entrances, the third from the south direction held the path to Celestéon's hangar.  
"Darkness," she whispered as she stepped into the narrow passage. "Why is there always darkness?" It was cold and damp, the feeling lingered with her that these walls could close in at moment, but drawing in a deep breath, she ventured on.  
"Celestéon." One word was all she said; its presence was already acknowledged before her. The gleaming metal creation sat against the back of the cave. or else, it looked like a cave. In reality, it was a metal hangar whose cathedral-like ceiling could open to reveal the night sky, and release Celestéon into the world.  
"So what made you decide to come here?" Maraiya's voice was soft.  
"I will not allow them to impersonate Mister Treize." Une's mother almost laughed.  
"You don't' believe that's him?" Anna whirled around to face the woman, abhorrence glowing in her eyes.  
"And what is that supposed to mean?"  
"Little one, I told you that you'd need a strong heart. I warned you because of this man. When you were with Oz, you were always with that man. so I thought that maybe it was because."  
"You lie," Une whispered dryly. "He isn't Treize."  
"Anna, I've been a spy against the Neu-Ro since it formed. That's why the choice you make on how to use Celestéon is so much more complicated."  
"He is not Treize." Une turned away, no longer able to face the woman she called mother. She believed Maraiya was toying with her mind. Shinjiru1. Believe what you've seen, child. That is all I can say. I warned you that this was coming. You need a strong heart. Shinjiru, little one." And she disappeared once again.  
  
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1: Shinjiru: Roughly translated, it means "believe in it"  
  
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Author's notes:  
  
Whoa. I don't think anyone saw THAT coming. hehehe. Cool, ne? I really don't know  
where this'll end up now. and NO, I DON'T know what I was smoking when I wrote  
this.so. eh hehe. Anyways, whad'ya think of my "this is the final  
straw that will mess Une's mind beyond recovery" scene? I really  
thought most ppl would catch on when I wrote "It is in the human  
consciousness to fight." You know, I think it's genetic. You know,  
Mariemaia.Treize. Get it? NO?!? Oh, forget it; don't bother. But now,  
the question remains: IS IT REALLY TREIZE? (If I am dedicating this  
fic to screwing Une's psychological balance, do you really think so?)  
Believe me, I've got a few more "surprises" tucked away somewhere in  
this brain of mine. I'll try to get chapter seven done ASAP. but  
considering the value of a grade nine biology course. (HA! Yeah right.  
.) I'll have it in a week or so. 


End file.
